WHERE AND HOW THEY BUILD. 



They '11 come again to the apple tree 



Robin and all the rest 

 When the orchard branches are fair to see 



In the snow of the blossoms dressed, 

 And the prettiest thing in the world will be 



The building of the nest. _ M E Sanggter 



Nesting-time is a happy time, and an anxious one, too, 

 for the parent birds. It is the season of song and expec- 

 tation. We are made more cheerful by their songs, as 

 well as the nesting mother, to whom the mate pours out 

 his volumes of melody. 



The ways of different birds at this time are very inter- 

 esting, and teach us many beautiful lessons. The parent 

 birds show the tenderest care and the most faithful devo- 

 tion to their nest of precious eggs or nestlings. 



The home of a bird has an attraction for us that is not 

 possessed by the home of a mouse or a bumblebee. It is 

 more like a human habitation. Like people, they choose 

 various locations, sometimes changing after the founda- 

 tion is well laid. The most common location is in the 

 trees. 



Warblers build in the very top branches ; the Orioles 

 select an outer branch, while the Hawks and Crows like 

 to build close against the trunk, and the Woodpeckers 

 chisel holes into the trunk. The large birds of prey 

 choose crags; the Larks and Sandpipers, the ground; 

 Herons and Ducks, the marshes; Bank Swallows and 

 Kingfishers dig holes in the banks of streams ; and some 



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